


Stay Strong

by LittleLex



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: A lot - Freeform, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Chara is struggling, Chara-Centric (Undertale), Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kinda?, Nightmares, Nonbinary Chara (Undertale), Nonbinary Frisk (Undertale), Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, References to Undertale Genocide Route, Toriel is best mom, suicide ideation, talk of resets, there's fluff i swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:34:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29110887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleLex/pseuds/LittleLex
Summary: After Frisk saves Chara from the underground, Chara doesn't adjust well on the surface. They're full of guilt and shame, they can't forgive themselves for their past actions.
Relationships: Chara & Frisk (Undertale), Chara & Papyrus (Undertale), Chara & Sans (Undertale), Chara & Toriel (Undertale)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	Stay Strong

Chara was tired, so tired. 

They couldn’t even begin to wrap their head around as to why Frisk decided to save them. They didn’t want to be saved, they didn’t deserve to be rescued. They were a bad person, they killed innocent monsters… They’re a demon, aren’t they?

They looked blankly at the mirror in front of them. Their brunette hair was a mess, it resembled a bird’s nest. Their side bang covered one of their ruby red eyes, at least one of their eyes didn’t show the bags under it. Chara was clad in blue overalls, with a green turtleneck underneath it. Their heart necklace hung around their neck. 

They’ve barely gotten rest ever since coming up to the surface, they’ve been waiting for another reset. Even though Frisk promised them it would never happen again, they didn’t want to believe them. They wished for a reset to occur so they could be dead again. They didn’t deserve a chance at redemption. 

Frisk appeared behind them, placing their hand on their shoulder. A warm and reassuring smile was on their face. Chara scoffed and turned their head, glaring daggers at the other human. Before Frisk could utter a word, Chara left the room, venturing off to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

* * *

It hurt even more to see Toriel and Asgore. It was a flat out reminder of the pain they caused, things could’ve turned out better for them. Maybe Asriel would still be here if it wasn’t for them. They were a terrible human being. 

Toriel greeted the two children, breakfast already prepared for them. The goat monster gently patted Chara on the head. Chara swallowed thickly, looking anywhere other than their mother. They took a seat at the kitchen table, slowly taking a bite out of their meal. 

Frisk and Toriel fell into a pleasant conversation, something about plans on hanging out with the skeleton brothers a bit later. They paused while eating. They liked Papyrus’s company, but it still hurt to see him after everything they had done. And Sans… they were terrified of the punny monster. He was the only one who was slightly aware of Chara’s… history. He was very passive-aggressive towards them, and they couldn’t blame him.

Chara finished up their meal and took their dirty plate to the sink. They yawned quietly before rubbing their eyes. They turned around, but Toriel stopped them in their tracks.

“Chara, my child… You look utterly exhausted! Why don’t you rest?” She asked, concern written in her tone. 

If they slept, horrible nightmares of killing the entire underground would flash before them. Sleep was out of the question. They shook their head, painting the fakest grin they could pull off. 

“I agree with Mom! I’ll take you to bed.” Frisk added, intertwining their hand with Chara’s. They pulled them away, heading towards their shared bedroom. 

“You  _ know _ I have nightmares, Frisk. What’s the point of trying to sleep if I’m just going to be disrupted?” They scoffed. 

Frisk gently shoved them on their bed, taking a seat next to them. 

“You haven’t gotten a good night’s rest  _ once _ since we returned to the surface. I’ll watch over you this time and if you’re having a nightmare I’ll wake you up.” Frisk advised.

Chara shook their head and reluctantly snuggled into bed, eventually drifting off to sleep. 

* * *

_ “You really are no different… than them…” Toriel laughed bitterly. Her dress was ripped in half and the side of her cheek was cut mercilessly. Her legs buckled beneath her, a sour smile was painted on her face as she turned into dust. _

_ The human pushed through the door with a sadistic grin on their face. Dust trailed behind them as they entered Snowdin.  _

_ The rest of the underground to go. _

Chara woke up, breathing erratically. Tears streamed down their face like an endless river. Frisk was a few inches away from their face, concern and worry covered their features. As they reached out to comfort them, Chara reeled back, hitting the headboard behind them. 

“This… This is all your fault! If you just left me to rot, I wouldn’t be here! I don’t want to be here…” They hiccuped tiredly. They didn’t dare look Frisk in the eye.

Chara was tired of experiencing feelings. They’d be better off dead than live through this. And they missed Asriel, so much. If it wasn’t because of their foolish plan, maybe he’d still be here and not changed into a soulless flower… 

Their body shook like a leaf caught in the wind. They didn’t react when Frisk slowly wrapped them in a hug, comforting them the best they could. Their breath hitched when Frisk uttered something quietly into their ear. 

“You’re not the one to blame. I willingly killed our friends too.” 

Chara froze, still as a statue. They slowly removed themselves from Frisk. “What…” The human blinked. “What did you just say…?” 

Frisk tensed. “Chara… I was… Curious too. And I can never forgive myself for it, but if I hadn’t, I never would have helped you too.” 

“So, that makes it valid to kill everyone?! Just to save me? You’re...You’re just as bad as me, Frisk…” They scoffed.

“Of course it doesn’t make it valid! I couldn’t save the entire underground knowing someone else needed to be saved too! That’s why I reset and you came with me on my journey again. We’re...We’re not good people. But, we’re _ trying _ to be better.” Frisk explained, their voice broke.

The red-eyed human shoved Frisk harshly onto the floor, watching them tumble. A look of confusion and horror spread across their friend’s face. Chara shot up from their spot on the bed, rubbing at their face quickly. 

“No, you’re wrong, Frisk. Everyone thinks you’re a kind and innocent little human, but you’re far from it. Why did you come back for me, was it because you relish killing others? They’re not the real monster,  _ you _ are.” They barked, venom dripping their tone. They weren’t sure if they were projecting themselves onto Frisk or if they meant anything they said.

Before Frisk had a chance to react, Chara fled, escaping through the back door, careful not to encounter their mother.

* * *

Tears blurred their vision as they ran around aimlessly through the neighborhood. They took shelter under a tree. They sniffled, hiding their face in their arms. Their small frame shook and shivered. 

They didn’t know how long they sat there in a pathetic posture, but it was long enough for someone to sneak upon them. Someone gently placed their hand on Chara’s shoulder.

“Are you alright, twin of Frisk?” A familiar voice boomed. 

Chara turned their head, facing none other than Papyrus. Sans was a foot or two behind him, his usual smirk present. His grin was tight and strained. Papyrus, on the other hand, his features were soft and gentle. A sense of worry was across his face. 

‘Twin of Frisk’ was Papyrus’s nickname for Chara. They didn’t know what to think about it, the name was kind of amusing to them. Chara inhaled deeply, then exhaled. 

“What’re you doing here?” They asked coldly, ignoring Papyrus’s question. It was best to act distant, act like you don’t care. They didn’t need any more attention drawn to themselves. 

“Well, Sans and I were taking a stroll in the neighborhood, then I noticed you! What seems to be the matter…?” Papyrus took a seat next to them, removing his hand from the human’s shoulder. From the corner of their eye, they noticed Sans hesitated for a moment and decided to also take a seat. 

“Heh, yeah. Are you _ oak _ ay?” The smaller skeleton joked. His voice was slow, uncertain. 

“I’m  _ fine _ .” Chara insisted, wiping away a single tear that fell from their eye. Sans hummed in response. Papyrus didn’t look convinced. 

“You are far from fine, human! If you wish to not express your feelings, that’s okay! Join us on our walk, it’s a beautiful day.” Papyrus cheerily smiled. Chara could tell it was fake, to ease the tension. 

They weighed their options. Either go back home or go on a walk with the brothers… They (reluctantly) chose the latter.

* * *

Papyrus was right, it was beautiful out. The wind was a gentle breeze, shifting the leaves on the trees. A few birds chirped loudly above and the sky was a bright blue, a few fluffy clouds scattered across. 

Chara wondered why the brothers were even in the neighborhood, they didn’t live in the complex. They suddenly recalled they were going to hang out with the brothers in the afternoon. By the position of the sun, it was close to midday. 

Papyrus made empty conversation, mostly conversing with Sans. Chara didn’t comment on anything, they occasionally hummed or nodded in affirmation. Before they knew it, they were standing in front of their house. 

They felt their heart skip a beat. Less than a second later, Toriel came running out of the house with Frisk behind her. She engulfed Chara into an embrace, rubbing their head. 

“Chara! Why did you run off?! If there was a problem, you could’ve come to me about it!” She exclaimed urgently. 

They watched as Frisk muttered something to Papyrus, probably explaining the situation. Thoughts left their head as tears swelled in their eyes. They bit back a sob, but to no avail. They clung onto their Mom, hiccuping. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” They repeated over and over again. Toriel comforted Chara the best she could, the small human ended up passing out in her arms. 

They woke up later in their room, their eyes drifting to two figures; Sans and Frisk. The two were on the ground, talking among themselves. They both had pie in front of them and it looked like Frisk had already finished, while Sans only ate a few pieces here and there.

“Why… Are you two here?” They snarled. Sans and Frisk immediately locked eyes with the human. A smile found its way on Frisk’s face. 

“We’re here for an intervention.” Frisk smiled reassuringly. It didn’t help Chara one bit. 

Sans sighed as he rubbed at his eye-socket. He patted the seat beside them, an invitation for Chara to join them. The small human kept their guard up as they slowly took a seat next to Sans.

“I heard ya haven’t been doin’ so well, buddy.” 

“And why does it concern you? You should hate me, I killed all of the monsters.” They scoffed.

Silence loomed over the three as Sans tried to find his words.

“I did, in the beginning. But, after a while and with Frisk’s help, I realized that you weren’t a soulless demon I thought ya were. You were a hurtin’ kid who needed love, not LOVE.” Sans’s voice became uncharacteristically soft. 

Chara visibly tensed, sweat began to bead down their forehead. “D-Don’t act as you know me! You have no idea what I went through in the village-”

“You were abused by the other humans, that’s why you hate your species. A victim of abuse thinks it’s normal, thus it’s more likely the abused becomes abusive.” He cut them off. 

Thoughts buzzed like a bee in Chara’s head;  _ shutupshutupshutup!! _

A hand reached out to them, holding their hand comfortingly. 

“None of this excuses your actions, but you feel guilty. That means you’ve changed, whether you like it or not. I may not like ya that much, but even I can give you that credit.”

“It’s okay, Chara.” Frisk murmured. 

They held Frisk’s hand back. 

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this on and off for at least a month now. I've realized Chara is my comfort character? I projected myself onto them quite a bit. I don't really like how this turned out and I'm considering deleting it. Anyway, hope you enjoy it! As always, stay safe and wear a mask!


End file.
